Protections
by pseudopsycha
Summary: He doesn't always show it, but he'll do anything for her. And he made sure she knew this. By giving her protections.


Disclaimer: I won't be posting in if I owned the HP series now, would I? Lol. On with the story~

ooo

"_Lumos_." Her wand alight, she whispered, "Malfoy?"

She was walking down the first floor corridor, looking for him, having finished the other seven floors. He was supposed to wait for her at the entrance hall. They were partners, see; they were supposed to get some ingredients from the [not-so] Forbidden Forest for their project in Potions, but he left before she got back from her talk about Head duties with the Headmistress.

_Merlin, he can't wait for just a second, could he? Just waiting in one bloody place… Nobody could do that now, could they!_ Hermione thought angrily, _Even Harry and Ron couldn't! Why him, too? It's like all these damn boys in this school have to go everywhere just because they have some itch in their buttocks that they __need to scratch in different parts of the castle! And now, that ferret left me here to look for him! __Insufferable git. Arrogant bastard. Egoistical pi—_

She saw a flash of platinum blond hair at the corner.

"Malfoy?"

Walking faster to the corner, she finally got a glimpse of the oh-it-is-quite-alright-for-you-to-look-for-me-through-the-whole-castle-because-I-am-a-Malfoy boy.

_Overconfident ferret,_ she thought, _you wait 'til I give you a piece of my mind._

She stopped short. Ruffled platinum blond hair. Not-so-pointed-like-when-he-was-a-kid chin. Immaculate black robes. And his eyes… Oh, his eyes. She could drown in them all day. She always loses herself in his silver eyes; though when you get the chance to look closely—which she certainly is abundant of—you'll be able to see streaks of icy blue. His eyes showed what his face would not—all his experiences in life, brought by the chaos around them. Whenever she thought about it, it truly unsettles her how similar he and her scarred best friend was. And both show everything through their eyes.

His eyes held all the things a seventeen-year-old teenager shouldn't have seen. _He's not a boy… _She suddenly reminded herself. _He's a man._

Said man was leaning against the wall in front of the marble staircase, which is where she started looking for him.

_Now I'm really pissed off._

Seething and forgetting about every "sentimental" thought she just had, she did what she promised; she gave him a piece of her mind, all the while jabbing a finger at his chest. "YOU MADE ME—" Poke. "LOOK FOR YOU—" Poke. "IN EVERY CORNER—" Poke. "OF THIS DAMN CASTLE—" Poke. Breathe deeply. "AND THIS IS WHERE—" Poke hard. "I FIND YOU!" Poke again. "IN THIS— IN THIS—"

"Granger."

His voice was melodious. Not the melodious in an opera-worthy way, but the melodious in the Draco-ish way—low, husky and _definitely_ masculine. She didn't tell him this, but she believed that his voice was her personal lullaby, her own melody giving her peace in a time of chaos and turmoil, in a time of war.

Her lungs felt like they were scratched by her ginger-furred familiar. Catching her breath, she spoke quietly, a complete contrast to her initial reaction. "Where were you? I was looking all over the place for you."

He spoke as quietly as she did. "I know. You said so. And I needed some fresh air. To think."

No teasing. No retorts. Unusual. Very unusual, indeed.

"Well, you could've waited for me."

"I'm sorry."

He stared at her with calculating yet soft eyes. The sole of her shoe was suddenly very interesting.

Long silence. Long comfortable-for-him and somehow-awkward-but-comfortable-for-her silence.

"Hermione?"

She looked up. He looked as if he was about to cry. His silver orbs were glistening with tears he won't let fall.

"Draco? Why?"

She tentatively took a step. When he made no move, she closed the distanced between them.

She took hold of his left hand with her right one. "Are you okay?" She rubbed her thumb at the back of his pale hand. "No scratch that. You're _obviously_ not okay. What happened?"

When she moved, he had not removed his eyes from the spot she was from. Turning his eyes to hers, wrapping his left arm around her waist, he said, "Nothing."

She released the breath she had no knowledge of holding, wrapping her arms around him at the same time.

"Yet."

Her breath hitched. "Yet? What do you mean 'yet'?"

He chose not to answer; instead, he asked her a question. "You know that I love you, right?" He rested his forehead on hers and closed his eyes.

"Yes, of course. Draco? What's happening?"

Opening one of his eyes, he replied, "When one's lover says 'I love you,' one should return the affections." He closed his eye again.

Still thinking of what he said before, she dumbly asked, "What?"

"That was an elegant way of saying, 'Tell me you love me.'"

"Oh."

"Won't you say it now?"

"I love you."

"Mhmm."

Feeling like he was unsatisfied with the way she said those three little words, she spoke again, "I love you. I love you so much sometimes it hurts. Sometimes, I feel like I'm going to burst. You're all I think about. You're all that's on my mind. When you're not where you say you're supposed to be, I worry and I'm scared to death. I don't know what I'd do without you. I can't live without you. I love you too much. I love you as much as you love me."

"I love you more."

"Can you _now_ tell me what's happening?"

"Remember that I love you, okay? Don't forget that."

"I won't. And you shouldn't to- Draco, what are you doing?"

The tip of his wand was poised at her temple.

He opened his silver eyes, staring straight into her chocolate orbs and into her soul, "Protecting you. I love you so much." A tear finally slid down his cheek.

Sudden realization hit her. She tried to release herself from his one-arm grip, but to no avail, so she tightened her arms around him, as if this would help in stopping him from what he was about to do. "Draco, please don't. I love you. Don't do this. I can protect myself! If you really want to protect me, if you really insist, we can find another way! This isn't the only way you can protect me! I love you! Doesn't that mean anything?" Tears were now freely falling from her eyes.

"Shh. It does. It does. It means everything to me."

"Then why?" She sobbed harder, her arms still tight around him.

"Like I said, I'm protecting you."

He kissed her one last time, pouring all of his soul into her, giving her all the love he has for her, offering his heart to her in just one gentle yet passionate kiss.

He broke away, with her still seeking his lips out and tears still leaking out of her closed lids.

"I love you, Hermione Jean Granger. Always. _Obliviate_."

ooo

End notes:

Butterbeers for the awesome people who will leave reviews.


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